


Mistaken Intentions

by pet



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21762970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pet/pseuds/pet
Summary: Written for Hermione's Holiday Hideaway 2019. While planning a holiday getaway with her lover, Hermione Granger overhears a conversation that breaks her heart. But you know what they say about eavesdropping and when you assume things...
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Lucius Malfoy
Comments: 7
Kudos: 105
Collections: Hermione's Holiday Hideaway 2019





	Mistaken Intentions

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing: Hermione/Lucius Malfoy  
> Location: Royal Tunbridge Well, Kent, UK  
> Movie/Story Prompt: The Santa Clause
> 
> ((Mistakes are mine))  
> _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Her hair was swept up into one of those messy bun hats that had recently become all the rage. At first, she was confused as to the trend; a hat with a hole in the top just didn’t seem to make any sense. Then Ginny had shown her the joy that came with being able to put your hair up into the hat and not come away with static hair upon removal. If there was one thing that Hermione Granger didn’t need, it was more frizz in her already wild hair.

She stepped outside her room at the small bed and breakfast she had checked into a few days prior. Taking a deep breath, she went down to the large dining room intent on having some breakfast and a few cups of coffee. It hadn’t been her intention to come to this particular B&B, but somewhere deep down in her subconscious, she must have been remembering happier times. He’d brought her here on their first real date just one year ago and they’d spent an amazing weekend…mostly in the room. They’d only emerged to get sustenance from the dining room. It was an amazing trip, the first of what she’d hoped would be many more. Only they’d stopped.

It would have been one thing if it had been a gradual descent from the passion of the early days into what Ginny called the mundane of a normal relationship, but it was sudden. About a month ago, they’d started talking about their first anniversary. Though it was strange to be discussing dating when they were both adults, she preferred it to his ancient term of courting. He said it sounded more civilized. She said it sounded Elizabethan. They’d both agreed that they needed to celebrate having survived each other in close company for a full year after being at each other’s throats for many years prior. When she’d suggested returning to Royal Tunbridge Well in Kent, he’d agreed with no fuss. Then he became distant.

He was always busy. He’d end floo calls abruptly when she’d walk into the room. Doors would be warded when they’d previously been accessible. Conversations were hushed and whispered to the point that she knew a Muffliato charm had to have been used. The anniversary trip hadn’t been mentioned again. The final straw had come when she’d come home to the Manor early a few days previous. Removing her heels at the door, she walked silently through the halls in the direction of his study. The unmistakable voices of her lover and his son met her ears.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to her,” came the sharper voice of Draco Malfoy. “You know she’s going to kill you when she finds out.”

“Oh come now, Draco. By the time she figures out what is happening, it will be too late for her to do anything about it.”

“You really think so?” he asked in mocking disbelief. “Apparently I still know Granger better than you do. She will never forgive you for this.”

Lucius audibly sighed. “It’s for the best. She will thank me someday for my foresight and…”

She walked away at that point, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks as she gripped her shoes and ran back through the manor and out the door to the edge of the wards. Looking back, she knew it was dangerous to apparate away like she did, but she also knew that splinching would have felt infinitely better than her shattered heart. It didn’t even matter to her that the majority of her belongings were housed inside Malfoy Manor. She had money enough to check into the B&B and purchase a few items of clothes and toiletries until she composed herself enough to floo Draco…but not him. She would do him the favor of not having to end it himself. She wouldn’t speak to him again, not even to thank him for whatever kindness he thought he was doing.

Shaking herself from rotten memories, she entered the dining room just as Judy, the host, was cleaning up a previous guest’s dishes. Hermione sat herself while Judy laid out fresh utensils.

“What’ll it be this morning, Miss Granger?”

“I’d love a full English breakfast, if you don’t mind?”

“Sorry, love. We’re out of eggs, beans, and bangers.”

“Do you have waffles?”

“We’re out.”

“Cereal and toast then,” she said dejectedly.

“To drink?”

“Coffee, please. With chocolate milk, if you could.”

“We’re out of chocolate milk.”

“White milk’s fine. At least I know you have hot apple pie,” she added under her breath.

“We did…” Judy trailed off as she walked away.

Hermione sighed again and drank from the glass of ice water that was placed at her seat. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, she though. She was supposed to be celebrating with Lucius, laid up in bed with him while they did all sorts of naughty and nice things to each other. She wasn’t supposed to be breakfasting alone. They were going to worship each other’s bodies, relax in a magically enlarged bath, and snuggle up on the floor before the fireplace. They were supposed to remember to go to the outdoor movie at Calverley Grounds this year rather than skiving off for more sex. The Santa Clause was playing this year and she’d spent hours trying to convince Lucius that this was a movie worth seeing. It was one of her favorites, after all, right up there on her list next to the original Miracle on 34th Street and Die Hard. It appeared that she’d have to see the movie alone.

Hermione spent the morning wandering around the quaint town, taking in the various Christmas decorations and doing a bit of shopping for her friends. She’d stopped off at a little café for a quinoa salad and hot chocolate (not too hot, extra chocolate, and shaken rather than stirred) at lunch time, and decided to get some toasted banana bread with vanilla ricotta and honey to take back to her room. She bustled up against the cold, cast a discreet warming charm on her takeaway, and made her way back to the B&B. After a warm bath, she enjoyed her banana bread and watched some tele.

She had apparently been dozing, because a tap on her window jolted her upright. She threw open the window and let in the owl that merely dropped its burden and flew away. The letter stared at her from its place on the table, the familiar script one she was both happy and disappointed to see.

_“Granger,_

_I know you think hiding away is the appropriate course of action right now, but on behalf of my father, I implore you to see reason. (His words.) We believe you may have overheard a part of a conversation that would reflect badly upon both of us, but rest assured whatever you heard has been misconstrued inside of that overtly intelligent brain of yours. The elves tell us you left in such haste that you managed to leave behind a small pile of fine hairs. Splinching isn’t attractive, as I’m sure you know, and you’re lucky it wasn’t worse than the ends of your hair._

_I beg you to meet us, yes US, at the Calverley Grounds at 8pm. Father says you’ll know where to go when you get there. Please, Granger. Father has been beside himself since Bernard told us you’d gone. Give him a chance to explain. I promise you won’t regret it.”_

The missive was signed in typical Malfoy flair and Hermione could only sigh. How could she possibly have taken what she heard wrong? It was quite clear that Lucius wanted to be rid of her. Why else would he have kept things from her? They’d always been honest with each other, brutally so at times, and for the past few weeks or so it was almost like she was living with a stranger. He was nervous around her, jumpy even, and he seemed to be always playing with the pocket of…. His…. Robes?

The thought hit her like a packed snowball to the back of the head. The secrets: something he didn’t want her to know about. The distance: not sure how to talk to her without divulging said secrets. Playing with a pocket in his robe…

He couldn’t be!

He WOULDN’T!

She whipped her head around to see that she had a scant 10 minutes to get herself presentable and across the town center to where she knew she could find him. They’d been planning on seeing the movie under the stars and her heart told her he’d be there waiting for her tonight. After brushing her teeth and pulling her hair back up into her messy bun hat, Hermione closed her eyes and apparated to a copse of trees near where she knew the inflatable movie screen would be set up. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on calming her heart that was attempting to run away with itself in her chest. The she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other.

He was standing underneath a giant fir tree, his blond hair glistening even more than the snow on the ground. Draco was nowhere to be found as she made her way closer. At least Lucius had the decency to look ashamed at having put her through hell the past few days, but she’d rather have had the son there with the father as a sort of buffer. Inside her mind, Hermione was picturing the many ways she could hurt him for his words and actions, or rather the lack of words and actions, over the last month. She was coming up with ways to verbally thrash him, bringing him to the same pain she felt when she left the manor those days ago. She was brought up short when she got close enough to fully see the scene he’d set for them.

Under the tree was a large blanket laid out on top of the needles on the ground. There was a sturdy basket near the trunk with two crystal glasses and a bottle of wine sat atop. While he wasn’t wearing his usual wizard robes, there was no doubt he’d sought out a top designer to fashion his distinctly muggle attire for the night.

“Hermione,” he breathed. “My love, I-“ His voice caught and she was certain he’d had a whole speech rehearsed that just wasn’t making it past the visible lump in his throat. Immediately he dropped to one knee and pulled out a baby blue ring box from his trouser pocket. “Marry me.”

There would be time for arguing. There would be moments when she would hate his attitude, get disgusted by the fact he liked to snack right up until bedtime, or even fight with him over the covers in bed. She would tell him eventually how his distance upset her, but how hindsight was perfect and she understood his motives. At this moment, though, there was only a whispered “yes” accompanied by tears of joy and applause from those around them. She kissed him before she even really looked at the ring, knowing Lucius well enough to know it was just as perfect for her as he was. For now, though, there was a Christmas party starting to appear on the screen, and Hermione and Lucius cuddled under the tree just in time for the movie to start.


End file.
